Exploding
on to the music scene in 1987, Rick Astley appeared fully
developed with a rich tone and a soulful depth of delivery that
belied his years. Following the release of his debut single “Never
Gonna Give You Up”, the 21 year old became a pop sensation
overnight.

Within 2 weeks of its release, the single reached Number
1 in the UK, and went on to hit Number 1 in 16 other countries
worldwide. The following 2 years saw Rick continue to

dominate the
charts around the globe. In the UK, Rick was in the Top 40 every
week for the first 6 months of his career, and today still holds the
record of being the only male solo artist to have his first 8 singles
reach the Top Ten in the UK.

FBI
with RickRick was born on February 6th 1966 in the North of England
and was raised in the small coal-mining town of Newton-Le-Willows.
He was the youngest of 4 children, and had a passion for music from
an early age, following in his mother’s footsteps. This led to

him
singing in a local church choir as a boy, but his love for the drums
inevitably found him joining local bands by his early teenage years.
He originally joined the soul band FBI as a

drummer. FBI were a
popular and well-known local band, writing and performing their own
material on the local pub and club circuit. Rick’s chance came
when the lead singer of FBI left the band and he volunteered to take
centre stage.

It
was Rick’s unique baritone voice that stood out and brought him to
the attention of record producer, Pete Waterman, who was so impressed
with his vocal talent and musicianship that he immediately invited
him to come to London and work at PWL Studios. Training

under Stock,
Aitken and Waterman as a Tape Op, Rick had a natural talent and
boundless enthusiasm in the studio, learning to record and produce
music from some of the world’s most renowned producers and
engineers.

NGGYU
Single CoverHis famous first single “Never Gonna Give You Up”
shot straight to Number 1 and remained there for 5 weeks –
Britain’s biggest selling single of that year. The follow up
single “Whenever You Need Somebody” hit Number 1 in 7 countries,
and his

debut album of the same name, released in 1988, including 4
self-penned songs, went on to sell over 15.2 million copies
worldwide, making him the top selling British act of the year. The
album was a huge success in the U.S., entering the Top Ten in the
album charts and earning him a Grammy nomination as ‘Best New
Artist’.

Rick’s
second album “Hold Me In Your Arms” was released in 1989,
including 5 commercially successful singles: “She Wants To Dance
With Me” and “Take Me To Your Heart” were self-penned. The
album reached Number 8 in the UK and Number 19 in the US album
charts. An extensive world tour followed.

Rick
was proud of what he had achieved with Stock, Aitken and Waterman,
but he was passionate about writing his own songs, and he was
changing and evolving as an artist. He

signed to RCA/BMG Worldwide
which allowed him a greater degree of artistic control, and went on
to release two further studio albums, honing his song writing skills
and exploring other avenues musically, especially his love of soul.

FreeHe
co-wrote and co-produced his third album “Free” released in 1991,
which featured collaborations with Elton John and Art of Noise’s
Ann Dudley, and the Top Ten hit “Cry For Help” showcasing a choir
arranged by gospel star, Andrae Crouch. It was not long after the

release of his album “Body and Soul” in 1993, co-written with
artists such as Rob Fisher and Lisa Stansfield, that Rick decided to
take a break from his music career and focus on family life with the
recent birth of his daughter.

However
Rick couldn’t keep his restless, artistic spirit at bay. In 2001,
he resurfaced with the album “Keep It Turned On” on Polydor
Records, a mixture of dance tracks and ballads well received in
Europe. His Greatest Hits compilation album went Gold, selling in
excess of

100,000 copies, and reaching Number 16 in the UK album
charts with virtually no promotion. A UK sell out tour in 2004 led to
an offer from Sony BMG Records, and the

release of his sixth studio
album “Portrait” followed the year after, including some classic

songs by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Williams and
Elvis, performed by Rick as if they were tailor-made for his powerful
and expressive voice.

Best
Act Ever2008 gave birth to the internet sensation of ‘Rick-rolling’
when renewed interest in Rick’s massive hit single, “Never
Gonna Give You Up” resurfaced all over the

web and hit
mainstream news worldwide, causing the single to chart once again in
the UK. A successful UK tour was undertaken in 2008, the same year
Rick won the ‘Best Act Ever’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

A
dynamic and engaging performer, Rick continues to perform worldwide,
and is currently working on new songs.

Rick
currently has a couple of original and exciting new projects in the
pipeline: a fresh and riveting new concept for a music documentary …